Is colon cancer removable by a colonoscopy?

Colon cancer: Occasionally very small pre-malignant or cancerous lesions within a small polyp can be , however larger tumors are biopsied with this procedure and require removal of the part of the intestine with the tumor and the draining lymph nodes.

Possibly: We believe most colon cancers progress through a polyp stage. Polyp simply means growth and can be any size or configuration but can be small. Early on a cancer can still be partly a polyp and be removed during colonoscopy. They still need to be evaluated and treated as a cancer however, and it does not necessarily mean the cancer is cured by just removing it as a cancerous polyp.

Sometimes: Early stage colon cancers can be removed by colonoscopy but most require surgery. More importantly with proper screening colonoscopy can remove benign polyps that would likely turn into cancer if not removed. Bottom line, make sure you are up to date with your colonoscopies.